


Eodem Sumus

by Keytrastar



Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Aku wants to do right by his people, Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Sex, Alien Technology, Asshole Emperor, Biological Weapons, Child Abuse, Demons are aliens au, Demons are prawns in this au, Demons as refugees, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil Corporations, Evil!Emperor, Fantastic Racism, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gritty, Growing Up Together, HEAVILY District 9 inspired, Jack helps him, Kid!Aku, Kinda, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Modern AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Segregation, Slow Burn, basically a lot of alien stuff, demon experimentation, kid!jack, more or less
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28215912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keytrastar/pseuds/Keytrastar
Summary: They came suddenly. Almost out of nowhere. Nobody knew who or frankly what they actually were. It wasn’t long before the whispering began, people partaking in quiet conversations under the cover of the night. Many words were used to describe them. Animals, beasts..Monsters.
Relationships: Aku/Samurai Jack
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	Eodem Sumus

The garbage-strewn streets were eerily silent and deserted as she stalked past. 

The woman couldn't really say she cared, or was even remotely _bothered_ by the sudden quietude. Simply wasn't at all concerned by the way the shanty town she had been forced to live in alongside her brethren suddenly resembled a graveyard. The silence was not at all out of the ordinary in this particular part of the slums, the one that resembled a residential area just a little more than the rest. It _always_ got quiet like this when the sun finally went down, falling behind the distant mountain peaks that none of them would ever be able to scale and putting a merciful end to yet another long and torturous day. But at the same time she knew better than to believe the deafening silence surrounding her now, to relax and disregard the few, distant gunshots of rampant gangs, the explicit lack of any dark silhouettes crossing her path. The shadows were never _truly_ empty in the derelict district they resided in, the woman knew that all too well by now. To believe otherwise would be a grave (and most likely fatal) mistake. 

Yellow, eerily snake-like eyes scanned the rickety walls of the shacks rising from the darkness on either side of the uneven path, sparing them no more than a quick glance before swiftly moving on. The foreign numbers painted messily on the rusted metal, naming the streets she was currently traversing and neighboring buildings, were of no interest to her. There was only one home that she was searching for in the deep shadows of this lonely, icy night, and she knew that with every exhausted, dragging step that she took, she was steadily drawing near it.

And, sure enough, there it was, waiting for her on the very edges of Sector 4. Even in the almost pitch black darkness of the night she could make out the familiar two letters and number scrawled messily across its walls in faded red paint. YA232. Yes, this was most definitely it.

Tapping her claws against the dusty and cracked wall in a specific rhythm, the being patiently waited at the yet closed entrance, her eyes casting a soft golden glow upon the screen door she had been so lucky to happen upon during one of her many searches in the garbage heaps littering the district, and her torn ears immediately perking up at the faint sounds of shuffling that almost instantly came from inside.

So, he was still awake then...

Cautiously pushing the door aside (there were no locks to keep it closed), she stepped over the cracked threshold— and almost immediately staggered back, a muffled grunt of surprise escaping her white chest as a small body barrelled into her at full speed, effectively knocking the air out of her body as tiny black arms wrapped around her waist in a flash, a green, all too familiar muzzle peering up at her, half concealed by the older demon's dark fur.

"Mother! You're back!" 

Despite her raging exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her at any second, Akua couldn't help but smile down at the precious little one she had been dreaming of seeing again all day, the felidae instantly sinking to her knees and pulling the child close, a deep, rumbling purr resonating throughout her entire being and a small smile of sincere joy spreading across her feline features. "Yes, I am finally home, Aku." 

Reluctantly letting go of her small son, the female demon gently urged him back inside, noticing the way he instantly shivered in the surprisingly cold temperatures of the summer night, and becoming increasingly desperate to get her little one out of the biting wind and into the weak shelter their humble abode provided. Of course, it was scarcely warmer inside the dilapidated home, but at the very least they would no longer be buffeted by the violent rushes of air currently weaving between the district shacks.

As soon as the door clicked softly shut behind them, Aku instantly rushed back to his exhausted parent, clenching something within his dark claws and excitedly presenting it to her, giant, black eyes alight with unrestrained pride and joy. "Look! I fixed it!"

Setting the torn garbage bag with today's earnings onto the rickety table standing in the middle of the cramped room, the cat-like being slowly turned to her young son, her turquoise markings lighting up in visible surprise and confusion as he clicked the device on, the holographic image of their long lost home planet slowly rising from the center of the small machine, flooding the room in soft, raspberry tinged light.

Akua's breath caught within her throat.

A large, semi-transparent orb now hung in the center of their tiny joint kitchen and living room, slowly turning on its axis, eleven smaller, scintillating spheres orbiting around it in a row, creating a diagonal, utterly _beautiful_ ring of flickering stars that seemed to always be in motion, casting light upon the surface of the much larger planet. Even from where she was standing and the small size of the projection, she could just barely make out the lines of mountains and rivers, dense forests and long, seemingly endlessly stretching deserts, deep seas and large, uniquely shaped lakes littering the surface of the sphere, her heart clenching almost painfully within her heaving chest at the all too familiar sight.

She almost couldn't believe it.. It had been so, so long since she'd last seen it...

Aku's eyes sparkled with excitement and barely contained hope. "Home?"

"Yeah," Akua breathed, her gaze never leaving the ghostly image of their long lost world. 

"Home."

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

The footage was blurry for just a few short seconds as it focused upon the face of the man sitting behind an expansive, mahogany table, his startlingly aristocratic face almost bored as he stared without blinking into the camera's dark lense.

_"Greatings. We are here at ANC Head Office. I am Asahi Ingyo, CEO of the company. And what we do here at ANC, as you probably already know, is to.. communicate with the demons on behalf of ANC, and the behalf of humans."_

A lake marred the edges of the bright and shining city of Kensoiken, located splat in the middle of what was now known as Sector Four, yet long since dubbed by the residents as Chiku Shi. One would think that such a thing would be considered beautiful and a highly desired addition to an already rather stunning city, despite its ugly shape and inconvenient placement. A place of endless attraction, and pride for all citizens. A cherished landmark. And, under normal circumstances, it certainly would have... had it not been for the almost pitch black color of the deep waters, the fact that they did not resemble any substances yet known to man..or the sheer circumstances of the lake's appearance upon Earth.

_"They came suddenly, you know? Out of nowhere. Nobody knows who or frankly what they actually are."_ A woman said, leaning back in her comfortable seat in a defeated slouch, her hazel eyes never leaving the cameras trained on her tired face. _"It was quite shocking. There was no warning. At all. It is still a mystery as to why our satellites did not detect them until it was far too late. We would've taken steps to evacuate as many people as possible otherwise, had we noticed them in time. But we did not see them coming. So one second we're, you know, going about or lives, enjoying yet another chaotic day and the next we're staring at this crater—"_

The meteorite had decimated a large portion of the city that had been unfortunate enough to be in its way. Thousands of lives had been lost in a flash, extinguished within a few, terrible, _chilling_ seconds. Fire had reigned supreme that day, engulfing structure after structure, like a wild beast with an endless, ravenous appetite, suffocating and burning those poor souls that happened to be unlucky enough to be trapped inside. The day that had seemed so average, so completely _normal_ — was suddenly consumed in chaos and tragedy. And when the dust had finally cleared after hours upon hours of digging out the corpses from the rubble, of putting out the residual conflagration and trying to mitigate the unprecedented crisis, well, that was when the full reality of what was happening to them had finally crashed down upon humanity.

_"I don't know why they landed here!"_ The man snarled as he pushed past the nosy journalists, stashing yet another box of rattling bottles into his truck and closing the scratched doors with a loud snap, _"All I know is that they must go! Fucking freaks... Goddamn murderers..."_

The alien ship had vanished before the government could even properly seal off the area. One second it was there, lying in the middle of the large crater it had inadvertently created during its landing, and the next — it was gone, as if it had never even been there in the first place, the only tangible proof of its existence being the large, midnight black lake that had abruptly taken its place. Almost as if the accursed thing had _melted_ far before it could be possibly hauled in for study.

_"Was it a preprogrammed self-destruct sequence, or was it something else?"_ The ANC scientist shrugged. _"We don't know."_

Old video footage of the crash site showed very clearly how the alien ship had promptly... dissolved on its spot within seconds, almost as if it were being _melted_ by some extreme temperatures that none of their human sensors had been able to detect. Many heads had rolled for the supposed negligence, rumours of the vessel having been destroyed or secretly taken away by the government spreading throughout the internet like wildfire, numerous conspiracy theories concerning its unexplained disappearance popping up like mushrooms all over the public space, faster than they could actually be removed. 

It wasn't long after the ship's destruction, however, that _they_ had finally made their grand appearance.

_"Demons, the lot of them,"_ the cafe's owner said, wiping the irreversibly stained counter down in rapid, irritated movements, sending the towering barrier separating the alien camp from the rest of the city a dark look. _"Goddamn shape shifters, takin' on the forms of Earth animals and expectin' us to accept them. Mindless creatures. Scarin' away customers..."_

_"The term 'demon' surfaced within a few months of the aliens' arrival,"_ the professor explained, thoughtfully twirling a dark pen between his two fingers, thick rimmed glasses glinting in the bright sunlight pouring through the open window, somehow failing to mask the distant look within those intelligent gray eyes. _"Obviously it is used as a way to indicate the more.. otherworldly... nature of these creatures, but it also implies something monstrous, something that is deeply insidious. Something that is actually worthy of fear, suspicion and even loathing.. Something that we.. may never be able to truly comprehend."_

_"You have to understand, we've never encountered anything_ like _them before,"_ the young woman explained in quiet defense, awkwardly holding onto her two toddlers as they threatened to escape her desperate grasp, the look in her eyes almost pleading. _"First they're these.. moving blobs of dark goo, and the next they're.. bipedal creatures resembling so many of our Earth animals... Almost as they're_ mimicking _the world surrounding them. Adapting to it. How long will it be before they start mimicking_ us _?"_

It wasn't long after that that the panic finally set in, the lack of any answers as to the extraterrestrials' motives driving people who were already on edge after the initial catastrophe past the breaking point. The already ostracized demons were no longer tolerated, the violence against them only escalating with time. And when tensions and general hysteria finally reached their crescendo — that was when all hell broke loose, and the truth about their unwanted visitors - finally revealed.

_"The riots to remove the aliens from the township have actually indirectly helped us gain more of an understanding of these creatures who have been forced to take refuge upon our world,"_ the biologist explained, pointing out a small spot upon the crude diagram of a demon's body plastered against the white brick wall. _"See this gland right here? We believe it is the source of their abilities, the.. um.._ origin _of what we speculate to actually be concentrated electromagnetic emissions that were mistakenly dubbed by the people as 'magic'. You see, when a demon feels threatened, he emits these waves as a defense. With nothing more than a single thought. And, depending on how agitated the subject is, the results of such emissions can be_ tremendously _destructive. Meaning that the sheer magnitude of their abilities depends entirely on their emotional state..."_

_"It was, frankly, a relief when the All Nations' Cooperative, or ANC, finally stepped in,"_ the professor admitted with a small, wry smile as he set the pen back onto the polished surface of his escritoire. _"We were at the end of our wits on what to do with the situation. We had done everything that we possibly could: give the aliens the same rights and protections as humans, provide them with a camp, as well as access to basic necessities, but the whole settlement inevitably morphed into a slum. Though ANC had not yet been able to remedy that, they have taken great strides into.. making our extraterrestrial visitors' lives better."_

Another, no longer pleasant, and almost bitter smile stretched briefly across Asahi Ingyo's aging face. 

_"We want to make them feel welcome in their new home."_

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

His parents weren't there to pick him up again.

Jack couldn't really say he blamed them. He knew that they were both busy people, his father having an entire business to run, and his mother too caught up in helping people at her clinic to even _remember_ to pick up her own son from school. The boy didn't mind waiting at the nearby playground until one of them would be able to take him home. Even though his parents could easily afford a sitter who would take him to and from school every day, they preferred not to resort to such measures, and Jack never asked them to, too prideful to ever resort to such desperate measures. His father was a self-made man, and independence was one of the first lessons he had ever taught his young son. The boy was not about to start disappointing his parent by asking for aid that he did not really need.

But that did not mean that he wasn't currently all alone on this playground, despite being surrounded by squealing children, with no book, and no friends to occupy his time, and having a long, tedious day way ahead of him. The rides had been able to entertain him only for so long, after all. Even the shiny new monkey bars no longer drew his interest. And he had already done all of the homework he possibly could with the materials he had on hand...

Idly swinging on the brightly colored swings, the boy's onyx eyes scanned the crowded playground, lingering on the doting parents and tussling, playing kids, before quickly moving on, a faint sense of heartache welling within his chest before it could be swiftly smothered. His parents were busy people with a lot of responsibilities, he reminded himself... It would be very selfish of him to demand more than they were possibly able to give, Jack knew that, but the assertion did very little to squash the strong feelings of loneliness and desolation steadily welling within him.

_He felt so alone here..._

It was then that his wandering gaze finally fell upon the tall fence cutting the expansive playground in half, barring the all too familiar, noisy and colorful world of the humans.. from the alien one. 

Although the large warning signs did their very best to block his lingering eyes from getting a good view of what was going on on the other side, the boy could just barely make out the quick streaks of black fur and scales, the faint flashes of bright, neon color as demonic young sped joyously by, happily tackling each other with delighted growls in a language that Jack for the life of him could never even imagine someday being able to understand, drawing the cautious, disdainful and almost _fearful_ looks of the human parents roaming their designated patch of territory. 

Curiosity now nagging at him alongside his growing boredom, Jack cautiously slipped from his crimson swings, picking up his small backpack as he did so, and inched himself closer to the metal barrier for a better look, trying to keep his movements as nonchalant as possible, and his interest - hidden. He did not want any of the adults milling about the playground to notice and shoo him away before he could get a proper look, after all.

Ducking behind the cover of a thick tree, and successfully concealing himself from any overly inquisitive glances of the roaming parents, the little boy cautiously set his bag back down onto the lush, emerald ground, his onyx eyes widening with awe and amazement at the sight waiting for him just beyond the faintly rusted bars of the tall fence.

The photos and videos did them no justice. The demons were unlike _anything_ he had ever seen before in his, admittedly short, life...

They were tall. That was by far the first thing he noticed about them. At least the adults were. Towering at almost three meters average, they simply _dwarfed_ the human grown-ups Jack had grown used to seeing in size, their forms temporarily blotting out the steadily setting sun as they stalked the perimeter of the small playground. They were certainly taller than anything he had ever seen, but that was by far the _least_ bizarre thing about them. The most being the way they looked absolutely _nothing_ like human beings.

His wide onyx eyes scanned the idly strolling, and playing creatures, noting every little difference that separated them from the Earth animals he'd grown accustomed to seeing in biology books, from the pitch black color of their bodies and highlighted, unique markings decorating their faces, thus demonstrating certain individuality by separating each of them from the rest, to the horns gracing their skulls, big and small, straight and branching.

They were so, _so_ completely different from human beings...

Jack watched in silence as a demonic cub, little different from an earthen feline save for the unnaturally dark hue of his fur and triangular spikes running the length of his spine, leapt upon the shoulders of another with a fearsome screech, the two tumbling to the ground in a flurry of playful growls, and gnashing fangs. Before the fight could turn particularly violent, however, the pair of troublemakers was quickly forced to separate by a warning snarl that came from the direction of the onlooking parents, the two cubs instantly springing apart with undeniably guilty expressions, looking quite disheveled indeed with the stray leaves and branches sticking messily to their ruffled fur. 

The boy slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter.

They were no different from toddlers caught sticking their hands in the cookie jar after their parents had explicitly told them not to.

Jack didn't know how long he'd sat there, behind the shelter of the thick trunk of a neighboring tree and nearby bushes, simply _watching_ the alien species he had been taught early on to avoid. Didn't quite know how much time had passed since he'd sunk to the ground beside his long-forgotten backpack, arms curling around his folded knees, and dirt smudging his formerly clean clothes. Simply found himself _unable_ to tear himself away from this transfixing world that had all this time been waiting for him on the other side of the metal fence, his onyx eyes watching the playing demons with something awfully akin to longing. 

While appearing awfully chaotic, the alien games seemed to be quite exhilarating. Jack watched in awed silence as black bodies, no more than blurry streaks of dark color rushed incessantly past, jovial laughter echoing throughout the small playground as the kids chased each other to and fro in what appeared to be a mock hunt, clambered up the surrounding trees and rusted, unkempt monkey bars with a grace, strength and fluidity that no _human_ being could ever even hope to possess, and tussled with each other in the dirt, growling and playfully snapping their powerful jaws at each other's scruffs as if in an attempt to grasp them. The basics of the latter game appeared to be rather simple. Whoever got a strong enough grip on the neck of their opponent won. The others, on the other hand, appeared to be a little more complex than that. Unexpectedly for himself, the boy suddenly found himself desperately wishing that he could join them.

There was _one_ demon who did not seem to be joining in on the fun, however. It took Jack a while to notice him just because of how still and quiet he was being compared to the other children. Sitting off to the side with a tattered, obviously second-hand book, he was almost completely invisible in the ever moving horde, had it not been for the brightness of his emerald muzzle, the twin flames that made up his eyebrows, or the six horns crowning his head, as pitch black in hue as the rest of his small body instead of the usual, metallic silver. He didn't even seem to be _remotely_ interested in what was going around him, instead completely engulfed in the contents of whatever it was that he was reading, his face almost entirely concealed by the open tome.

Cocking his head to the side, the human boy studied the odd child, tried to glimpse the title scrawled neatly across the spine of the old book in faded letters, onyx eyes narrowing in concentration, but soon found to his disappointment that it was simply too far away from him to be easily distinguishible. 

And that was the exact moment when the demon finally chose to look up.

Their eyes met for just a second, but that was more than enough. Both boys instinctively leapt back in surprise and shock, Jack's back slamming painfully against the dark bark of the tree behind him, and the alien's book tumbling from his clawed grasp, falling onto the yellowed, unkempt grass that nobody bothered to water on the demonic side of the playground.

Shallow, quick breaths of excitement escaping his parted lips, adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jack shakily hauled himself to his feet, his pale fingers cautiously rewrapping around the cold, metal bars of the fence for stability — and waved. 

The demon blinked.

Jack waved again, smiling in what he sincerely hoped would be perceived as reassurance and encouragement.

Still blinking owlishly at the bizarre, pink creature waving at him from beyond the dark fence, the alien boy hesitantly raised his own clawed hand, mimicking the odd gesture that he could only assume was a human version of a greeting, his ears angling in curiosity and growing confusion. 

What could this soft, fleshy creature possibly _want_ from him?

Smiling broadly at the returned hello, Jack slowly gestured for the other to approach, practically hopping where he stood grasping onto the rusted barrier in his excitement. His first alien contact! Even the most intrepid of his classmates could not possibly boast of accomplishing such a feat! This previously boring day was certainly looking up!

His black eyes widening even more in horror at the sheer _implications_ of the newest gesture, the alien rapidly shook his head from side to side, swiftly backing even farther away from the persistent earthling, his horns dipping in growing anxiety and trepidation. Trying to be as patient as he possibly could with the obviously frightened and cautious creature, Jack slowly lifted his hands once more, letting go of the rusted bars in favor of holding them out palms forward, showing the other that he was unarmed. Even so, the action seemed to do very little to fully quell the small demon's fears. 

"It's okay," the boy mouthed, the look in his onyx eyes sincere. "I won't hurt you."

Fortunately, the alien seemed to understand the message.

Jack's smile broadened exponentially as the other boy cautiously drew closer, all the while anxiously shooting the adult demons a few looks over his spiked shoulders as he did so, and swiftly ducked behind the shelter of the dense foliage growing along the perimeter of the playground as soon as he was near it, settling just a few feet away from the dark fence. Almost as if making sure that they were not paying any attention to his movements. Which they probably weren't as none of them called out to the straying child, too focused on the more rambunctious youngsters currently swarming the old playground, clambering all over the equipment that was obviously in a bad need of repairs and wrestling with each other in the dirt.

"Hey," the human boy whispered as the demon finally came to stand a few paces away from him, watching him with open wariness and incredulity, claws flexing around the old book he was still holding within his hands. Now that they were much closer to each other than before, Jack was again struck by just how _alien_ this creature standing before him actually was with its smooth, completely black body and beastly features, but found that he wasn't at all repulsed by it. Was instead _intrigued_ by it, by this complete abnormality that challenged practically _everything_ he knew about Earth's biology.

He was so, _so_ different from any animal he had ever seen...

Realizing that he was staring and that it was impolite, the boy quickly cleared his throat, his palm tapping lightly against the center of his chest as he quickly spoke up to introduce himself, excitement threatening to overwhelm him. "H-Hi. I'm-I'm Jack. What's your name?"

The demon squinted at him, and for a few seconds Jack was worried that the other hadn't understood his non-violent intentions, that he was going to simply turn around and leave, but the creature merely cocked its head to the side in visible confusion to his rather cliche introduction, eyes narrowing in thought.

The human did his best to ignore the absolutely adorable way the other's behavior suddenly resembled that of an extremely puzzled german shepherd.

"Jack," he repeated patiently after a long pause, pointing to himself before gently jabbing his finger in the other kid's direction. "You?"

Dawning realization glistening within the depths of his dark eyes, the demon mimicked the human gesture with a precision that was almost comical, lowly growling something out in his own language. Jack couldn't help but sag slightly at that, his shoulders slumping in disappointment and dejection. Of course the demons had their own language, what else could he have possibly expected from another race? It was rather foolish of him to believe that he would be able to easily communicate with someone that wasn't even _from_ this world.

Seeing the crestfallen expression swiftly spreading across the human's face, the demon chuffed in what was undeniably amusement, his black eyes twinkling in the barest hint of a smile as he slowly set his book aside and sank to his knees, his long claws digging into the hardened dirt with startling ease as he began to scratch some kind of symbols into the ground between them.

It took Jack longer than he would admit to realize that he was writing.

His breath catching within his throat in amazement, Jack leaned forward, his head pressing between the cold rails of the tall fence as he stared at the jagged letters now carved into the ground before him, brows furrowing in concentration as he tried to simultaneously read them upside down and backwards.

"Ak-ku? That's your name? Aku?"

The demon nodded, his black eyes still watching Jack carefully, distrust and caution easily readable in the tense way he held himself despite his earlier amusement. The human allowed himself another, bright smile.

"That's a nice name."

The alien beamed, baring his curved fangs in a broad grin of his own, his chest puffing out in pride at the unexpected praise. Jack couldn't stop a chuckle of his own from slipping past his lips at the sight if he tried. 

Shooting the adult demons a cursory look, the human boy carefully inched even closer to the tall fence, his hands clenching around the cold rails and head pressing against them yet again as he leaned forward, glittering onyx eyes never leaving the green face of his new friend. "Are you alone here?" He hadn't been able to spot any demon similar in appearance in the throng of parents watching over the scuttling cubs, so perhaps Aku was just like him? Waiting for someone to pick him up?

But the other boy just shook his head in response to his quiet inquiry, jabbing his finger silently over his spiked shoulder in the direction of the adult aliens, and Jack had to squinted as he tried to follow the direction of the quick gesture, see who he was pointing at. 

Fortunately, it didn't take him all that long to spot her.

Sporting a serious expression that made no effort to conceal the stark lack of even a shred of vivacious nature, she was undeniably a beautiful creature to gaze upon regardless. Tall, dark and possessing a distinct patch of silvery white fur that stretched all the way up from her sternum to her jawline, she easily stood out amongst the other demons, the elegant turquoise swirls of her facial markings glowing a dark golden in the faintly rosy light of the late afternoon sun. Despite her strong likeness to that of an Earthen cat, Jack could tell that she was a woman based on the subtle femininity of her overall physique, the vague similarities to the characteristics any average human female would generally possess. But that wasn't what piqued the human's attention the most. No. It was the sheer _power_ that she radiated that instantly drew him to her, the strong _aura_ that the demon seemed to naturally possess, the unequivocal _intelligence_ shining within the depths of her piercing, yellow eyes. Even though she was clearly not paying attention to her surroundings, appearing to be far too immersed in her conversation with a neighboring demon, Jack still felt fiercely intimidated by her presence, his mouth going dry as he continued to study the distant form.

"She's beautiful," he breathed, his voice failing to mask the sheer awe coursing through him as he forcefully tore his eyes away from the female demon, the human boy turning back to his new friend. "Is that your mom?"

Aku nodded again, his chest puffing out even more in pleasure and pride at the other's compliment, his black eyes glittering with joy at the other's amazement. Jack didn't even try to withhold his soft laughter at that, another broad smile stretching across his face as he slowly sank onto the soft ground beside the metallic barrier, settling comfortably upon it, the demonic cub swiftly mirroring his movements. "My mom never watches me play... Do you come here often?"

Fully relaxed now that he was certain that the human posed no threat to him, Aku was far easier to talk to from then on out. Though the difference in languages sure threw a wrench into their communications, the two stubbornly made due with what they knew, Jack speaking as slowly as he possibly could without causing annoyance, and the demon writing out his replies in the now loose dirt between them, misspelling some words, but managing to keep his answers easily decipherable regardless.

The human would be lying indeed if he said he wasn't enjoying himself, wasn't taking pleasure in this amiable companionship of his new friend, one of the very creatures he was taught from childhood to hate. He was learning a lot of things about Aku, such as that it was his birthday, and that his mother had scraped together enough money to take him into the city to celebrate. That the book Aku was currently reading, _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , was actually her gift to him as he liked to read. That the demon boy loved his mother very much, and was angry that she had to work so much while being paid next to nothing in order to give him the best life she possibly could, given the circumstances. That he wished will all his core that he could help her, and would sign up for a job the first chance he got. The details of the demons' lives appalled Jack, but even so, he couldn't help but be drawn into the friendly conversation, his interest never fading, and his day finally seeming less bleak than it had a mere hour ago—

And that was the exact moment when _they_ chose to ruin it.

So lost in their conversation that they failed to pay attention to their surroundings, the two boys were shocked when strong hands suddenly grabbed each of them from behind, Aku letting out a frightened shriek as he was roughly hauled up by the scruff of his neck, and Jack letting out a protesting cry as thick fingers wrapped around his arm with bruising force, the ANC operatives forcefully pulling the two of them apart.

Instantly alert to the cries of terrified offspring, both human and alien parents instantly rushed to the site of the commotion, Aku's mother roughly pushing past her brethren and sprinting to the guard's side, her fangs bared in a fierce snarl of rage, belying the fear glistening within her yellow eyes as she looked upon the grim human and her struggling youngling.

_"What's going on here?! What are you doing with him?!"_ Her words, transmitted and translated by the slim ANC-issued collar strapped around her throat, reached Jack's ears easily despite his own, ever-growing panic, his onyx eyes wide as he struggled against the secure grip of the other guard, ultimately achieving nothing.

The operative's voice was cold.

"Your child has been seen interacting with a human. That is a contact violation, 5.0 section 17. Human and non-human citizens are ordered to keep a 30 meter distance from each other at all times. I am certain that you are aware of the consequences for breaking these regulations?" 

If demons could go pale, the demonic woman definitely would have. Even so, her voice was calm, almost steely and deathly quiet as she spoke up again, never wavering even though it was obvious that she was rattled beyond measure, desperate to get her son back in one piece.

Fighting against the humans holding him in their custody would only result in Aku's death, the demon knew that.

_"I understand.. I would like to apologize for my child's injudicious behavior, officer, and will ensure that nothing of the sort ever happens again. I will always keep him at my side from now on. Please, may I have my son back?"_

"Is he registered?" The other guard asked, his face twisting in disgust as he looked at Aku's shuddering form, his pale fingers tightening even more around Jack's upper arm. "I can feel his energia from here, why the hell isn't he collared yet?"

_"He is not of age,"_ Akua replied evenly, unconsciously wringing her hands as she forcefully held herself back from leaping onto the disgusting human, thus liberating her precious little one of his cruel grasp. _"He is too young. His full abilities will not start to manifest until next year—"_

"Well I am sure that you can make an exception with him," the first operative snapped rudely in response, throwing Aku roughly to the ground, the child instantly dragging himself to his feet despite the pain from his rough landing and rushing to hide behind his mother's secure form, burying his tear-soaked muzzle into the comforting warmth of her dark fur. "Get him leashed. Because the next time I see him running about, collarless and untagged, I'm putting a bullet through his skull do you understand me?"

_"Yes,"_ the female demon replied submissively, quietly accepting the slip of paper the ANC guard shoved in her direction, her eyes raking briefly over the hefty sum scribbled there in dark blue ink. _"I understand."_

"Pay the fine at the ANC Detention Center. And keep that little monster of yours away from humans."

Jack didn't get to hear the woman's quiet assent. Didn't know what had become of Aku after he had been reluctantly released to his mother. He was already being dragged away at that point, and before he knew it he was in a police car, driving away from the playground he was supposed to be staying in until he could be taken home, his hands pressing against the cold glass of the window and his eyes forlornly watching the buildings blur together as they noisily sped by.

His father picked him up from ANC custody a mere three hours later.


End file.
